Home> Reservation Times - March 2010
Reservation Times - March 2010
In this edition of the Reservation Times we announce the roll-out of the EMS Users Forum, offer an opportunity for a free energy-saving integration, introduce you to our new Global Channel and Partner Relations Manager and much more. So, read on!
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In this issue...
Can We Talk? EMS Users Forum Up and Running
The EMS Kiosk: Check-In, Wayfinding and More at Your Fingertips
FREE Energy-Saving Integration! Attendee Insight: The EMS Users Conference from an Attendee’s Point of View
The Company You Keep: Expanding Our Efforts in Powerful Partnerships
Finding a Focal Point: New Case Study on Campus Scheduling Consolidation Revvin’ Up the Road Show – A Full Slate of Tradeshows and the EMS Users Conference
Can We Talk? EMS Users Forum Up and Running
When it comes to discussing the scheduling challenges they face, sharing best practices, exchanging simple “how to” tips, etc., EMS users have always been fairly well connected with one another via email and phone. And we’ve helped over the years by coordinating various LISTSERV® discussion groups. But now we’re making it even easier to stay in touch and informed using the latest in online group communication technology with the launching of the EMS Users Forum.
Forum Fast Facts:
- Available to every EMS user at any customer organization that has a current Annual Service Agreement (ASA)
- Accessed from the EMS Online Support Center
- Comprised of three main areas: EMS Communities (currently subdivided into Meeting & Event Scheduling and Academic Scheduling), Users Conference, and User Suggestions
- Will grow and evolve as needed
- Intuitive interface makes this a great resource even for those who’ve never participated in a forum!
Get online today to take advantage of the wealth of wisdom in our 3,800-organization customer base. If you have questions about the forum, please email support@dea.com.
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The EMS Kiosk: Check-In, Wayfinding and More at Your Fingertips
We live in an "on demand" world. People want the information they want when and where they want it. When it comes to the meetings, events and shared workspace at your facility, that means the ability to check in for a reserved office, seek out a coworker, find a meeting location, create a walk-up room booking and more.
Enter the EMS Kiosk. Run on any touch screen PC, tablet, or dedicated device that has a web browser, the EMS Kiosk software gives users a wide range of reservation-related functionality. It’s a branded digital sign, a secure booking interface and an information center. It can be a free-standing apparatus, a wall-mounted unit or a PC at an information desk. And all of its features can be centrally maintained within EMS.
"These days there is a strong preference for self-service capability, both from facility visitors and overworked scheduling and guest service staffs," says Kevin Raasch, our executive vice president. "The EMS Kiosk is an efficient and cost effective solution for any organization that wants to provide a better user experience for staff or guests."
As for hardware, two of our preferred providers are EMS business partners TabletKiosk and KIOSK Information Systems. To learn more about EMS Kiosk, please contact your EMS account representative or email sales@dea.com.
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FREE Energy-Saving Integration!
Synersol, a leader in "synergistic solutions for smarter building systems", is making EMS customers an amazing offer! The company is looking for a few sites at which they will integrate the organization’s EMS and HVAC systems. Doing so provides significant energy savings through automated heating/cooling adjustments driven by room occupancy information. And, they will do this at zero upfront cost for their product!
The company would like to provide this service to a customer in each of these markets: Higher Education, Worship Facilities and Corporation or Conference Center. The ideal candidate?
- Excited about EMS and eager to expand its capabilities
- A variable scheduling environment (busy times but also times where rooms are unused)
- Can quantify their current energy consumption and labor costs associated with coordinating room usage and HVAC schedules
- Has a commercial grade building automation system (BAS)
- Programs their own BAS or has a good relationship with their BAS supplier
- Is willing to participate in a published case study on the project
While they were not a participant in this project, the University of Kansas has enjoyed some impressive energy/labor savings since the completion of their EMS/HVAC integration. If the potential of thousands of dollars of savings at no upfront cost to you sounds intriguing, please contact Tim Campbell, our Global Channel & Partner Relations Manager, for more information.
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Attendee Insight: The EMS Users Conference from an Attendee’s Point of View
We’ll be the first to tell you how fantastic our annual EMS Users Conference is, but of course we’re a bit biased! If you’re still on the fence as the end of Early Bird pricing approaches (March 15), here are some thoughts from one of last year’s attendees, Honey Svoboda of Kutztown University in Pennsylvania.
EMS: What did you like about the EMS User Conference?
Honey Svoboda: I liked the number of sessions that were given each day along with the option to catch a popular session at different times, so that you could build your schedule around sessions that matter most to you. I especially liked the ones that were presented by EMS clients who were able to show us working examples of how they use EMS.
EMS: Has attending the conference impacted the way you use EMS to do your job?
HS: Yes. We are working on using EMS to help us with our scheduling needs for summer conferences – from a residential standpoint – in addition to the daily event scheduling. We are also taking the time to add photos to the system and are taking advantage of features we learned about at the conference to give campus customers more information at their fingertips.
EMS: The country was dealing with the worst economy in decades last year. Was it difficult to get approval to attend the conference?
HS: It certainly played a role in my ability to attend. Fortunately I took advantage of the Early Bird discount and paid for the majority of the trip prior to the end of our fiscal year! Otherwise I may have missed this opportunity.
EMS: Were there challenges involved in planning your travel and making the trip?
HS: Once the finances were in place, making the actual arrangements was very easy. The Users Conference section of the EMS website gave me all of the transportation and accommodation information I needed.
EMS: Was the conference worth the time, effort and expense to attend?
HS: Absolutely - 100% yes!
EMS: Would you recommend the conference to others?
HS: Yes – absolutely. I came away from this conference with so much information. I wish that we had been able to send more people. There were so many good sessions to attend! I also met a number of people with roles similar to mine. It’s nice to have my own informal user group to toss things back and forth with! I would love to attend the conference again.
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The Company You Keep: Expanding Our Efforts in Powerful Partnerships
Congratulations to Tim Campbell, our new Global Channel and Partner Relations Manager. Previously the manager of our Public Sector sales team, Tim has been asked to take charge of our EMS Business Partner program.
"For years we’ve had a strong lineup of business partners whose products complement ours and help customers round out their facility management and web calendaring tool set," says Campbell.
"In my new role I’ll be a dedicated resource for partners and potential partners who want to know more about developing powerful synergies between our products, and also to customers and prospects who want to understand the real world benefits of those synergies."
Learn more about the EMS Business Partner program here or contact Tim Campbell at tim.campbell@dea.com or 800-440-3994 ext. 629.
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Finding a Focal Point: New Case Study on Campus Scheduling Consolidation
For many scheduling professionals on college campuses, a software system that is a proven solution for both class scheduling and meeting/event management is the Holy Grail of business efficiency tools. This major public university, which had been using EMS Professional in its Student Affairs Office and a competitor’s product in the Academic Affairs Office, found that EMS Campus was the culmination of their quest.
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Revvin’ Up the Road Show – A Full Slate of Tradeshows and the EMS Users Conference
In order to stay in tune with your room scheduling and event management needs, we make it a priority to see you face-to-face at industry trade shows around the country and at our annual Users Conference here in Colorado.
Whether you are one of our 2.5 million registered users or are just curious about what we have to offer, we encourage you to stop by our booth at one of our upcoming tradeshows to participate in an informative product demo, chat with a sales rep and learn how EMS software can address your specific scheduling and calendaring requirements.
We would also love to see you this year at the 2010 Users Conference, September 26-29 in Denver. Registration is open now, with Early Bird pricing in effect through March 15.
Some tradeshows we’ll be attending in the months ahead:
ACCED-I: Association of Collegiate Conference and Events Directors-International
March 21-24, Louisville, KY - Table #24
SunGard Summit
April 11-14, San Francisco, CA - Booth #505
AACC: American Association of Community Collegesl
April 17-20, Seattle, WA - Booth #802
CoreNet Global
April 18-20, New Orleans, LA - Booth #607
NIRSA: National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association
April 20-21, Anaheim, CA - Booth #814
FM Systems Users Conference
April 28-29, Raleigh, NC - Tabletop
ALA: Association of Legal Administrators
May 3-5, Boston, MA - Booth #509
WORKTECH 10
May 19, New York, NY - Booth #TBD
SGMP: Society of Government Meeting Professionals
May 21, Kansas City, MO - Booth #TBD
AAM: American Association of Museums & MuseumExpo
May 24-26, Los Angeles, CA - Booth #626
Check out the Calendar of Events page.
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